


Gravity

by JaneyKatherineHummingbird



Series: Snippets of Sadness and Angst [8]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Blindness, Brain Injury, Gen, Jim has an accident, Winona comforts her baby, everyone is sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-07-13 02:46:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7135400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneyKatherineHummingbird/pseuds/JaneyKatherineHummingbird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim has an unfortunate, devastating accident, costing him his sight. Everybody is sad. Winona mothers Jim.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gravity

In a hospital in San Francisco, the Enterprise's bridge crew was waiting for word of their captain's condition. He had suffered a nasty head injury when the ship's artificial gravity had malfunctioned, slamming him hard against a bulkhead. Jim had been rushed into emergency brain surgery, kept in a coma for a few days and woken up unable to see, which led to a panic attack and everybody being chased out of his room. The waiting was awful, not knowing the truth. 

Spock and Uhura sat close together, the lieutenant's head on Spock's shoulder. Spock was even more rigid than usual, concern for Jim at its highest since that incident in the warp core no one liked to remember. In the opposite corner, Scotty's head was in his hands. The chief engineer was overcome with guilt at not having seen that the control was about to fail. His error had almost killed the captain--again. Sulu was pacing restlessly, a bruise forming on his face from his own gravity mishap. 

Gaila was attempting to console a tearful, horrified, Chekov, who had seen the whole thing happen up close. Alone in a hard chair, Carol Marcus was silently crying, big tears rolling down her pale cheeks. Her newly regenerated arm was bound in a sling. This couldn't happen to Jim, it just couldn't. The idea of those big blue eyes vacant and unseeing was horrifying to her. Jim would be crushed. Maybe Dr. McCoy could work another miracle....

The doctor finally emerged after another hour, looking exhausted, eyes suspiciously red and sorrowful. 

"Doctor, is he....." Spock couldn't finish the question. Bones shook his head. "He's alive, Spock. But he'll probably never see again. Damage was...extensive. I don't think he'll be up for visitors again soon." 

At these words, Chekov sobbed again, Uhura hid her face in Spock's shirt, and Scotty slumped farther forward in despair. 

"Are you certain, Doctor?", whispered Carol desperately, willing it not to be true. Leonard sighed.

"Yes, much as it kills me to say it. But don't go blaming yourselves." He rested a hand on Scotty's shoulder. "It was an unfortunate accident. Nobody could have guessed it would happen." 

"But I should have inspected and replaced the old control," moaned the engineer. "Now the Captain can't captain anymore."

The silence in the room was deafening. 

In Jim's room, the wounded captain had finally calmed somewhat with the presence of his mother. Winona was holding her son's hand tightly, murmuring comfort to him. Jim's eyes were shut, lashes damp with tears. Even the good drugs couldn't stop the terror and heartache from the darkness that wouldn't go away.

"I'm so glad you're alive, honey," Winona whispered. "Leonard said they weren't sure you'd even survive the surgery."

"Bones ought to know me better than that," Jim said weakly. "I've got nine lives, you know." 

Winona glanced sadly at her son's bruised face and bandaged head. "That's what all Kirk men think. But it seems to be actually true in your case. Don't give up, Jimmy." 

"I don't know how to begin to process this, Mom," Jim sighed despondently. "I'm helpless. Everything hurts. I'll have to relearn how just to function on my own. No more space, no more Enterprise."

His voice dropped to a wavery whisper when he mentioned his beloved ship. The captain opened his now sightless blue eyes again, staring into the darkness. It hurt Winona to see the focus gone from them, but they were still beautiful. 

"I'm sorry, baby," she told him softly, "But never forget how much I love you, starship or not. So do your friends. We're going to help you through this." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Jim didn't say anything, but two fresh tears rolled down his face as he squeezed his mother's hand. He wondered if he had finally met his no-win scenario.


End file.
